My father is Jiajing

Chapter 286 Prince Yu wants to establish his authority

When Zhao Zhenji and Li Chunfang heard Zhu Zaigui's question, they looked at each other for a moment, and then Zhao Zhenji replied, "The imperial edict said that the purpose of re-establishing the Hongwenguan was to rectify the cultural heritage of the Ming Dynasty and promote the literary style of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Zaiqi hummed and said, "Zuo Yude is right. Your Majesty's re-establishment of the Hongwen Academy is what he meant. But to accomplish this, it is not just talk, but practical actions. Otherwise, it is better not to establish the Hongwen Academy and merge it with the Wenyuan Pavilion."

"So, I would like to ask you two, since you have been sent by His Majesty to the Hongwenguan to assist me, where should we start first?"

Zhu Zaigui's question made Zhao Zhenji and Li Chunfang feel a chill in their hearts. Obviously, Zhu Zaigui's question was beyond their expectations. They never expected that the first time they met Prince Yu, he would test their abilities.

After Zhu Zaigui finished speaking, he picked up the teacup that Meng Chong had just brought over, blew gently on the tea inside, then took a sip and smacked his lips, as if he was very relaxed and comfortable.

But it was not so easy for Zhao Zhenji and Li Chunfang. This question was indeed a bit abrupt for them.

Although both of them were well-educated and were both young and noble talents from the Hanlin Academy, their work experience was limited. They had only worked in civil service offices related to the Hanlin Academy, and most of the work they did was just empty talk.

If you ask them to talk about general principles to criticize current social ills, they may be able to speak eloquently and give a long and flowery speech, but if you ask them to come up with some concrete and feasible solutions for specific issues, it may take some time for them to gain experience and hone their skills.

However, these two people are obviously not the kind of unprepared nerds and good-for-nothings. They were favored by Emperor Jiajing in the Hanlin Academy where all the elites gathered, and were assigned to be Zhu Zaigui's deputies. They must have many strengths.

Zhao Zhenji thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, I think the first priority of Hongwenguan should be to select people. Since Hongwenguan is to shoulder the responsibility of upholding the cultural heritage of the Ming Dynasty and promoting the literary style of the Ming Dynasty, it is inevitable to recruit some talented and wise men to fill the academy. Therefore, I think the most urgent task should be to recruit talents and set up the framework of Hongwenguan first."

When Zhu Zaigui heard what Zhao Zhenji said, his expression was unclear. He just hummed softly, "That's true. It's really impossible to build the Hongwenguan by relying on me and the two of you." At this point, Zhu Zaigui paused and turned around: "But!"

"But what kind of people should we recruit? We can't recruit people from the Hanlin Academy, right? We can't recruit people from the Imperial College, right? So, even if we want to recruit talents, we should have a direction. What kind of talents should we recruit? What kind of scholars should we recruit? We should have a psychological estimate.

"Moreover, these people who are to be recruited are directly related to the efficiency and direction of our Hongwenguan. Whether we can run Hongwenguan well or not, you should know that in the history of the Ming Dynasty, Hongwenguan was first established and then abolished, and then restored and merged with Wenyuan Pavilion."

"If the prince and you cannot run the rebuilt Hongwenguan, then we will resign as soon as possible."

After saying these words, the expressions on Zhao Zhenji and Li Chunfang's faces became awkward and solemn. They never expected that their first meeting with Prince Yu would be so serious.

Then Zhu Zaigui said:

"To be honest, I don't think much of those so-called talented people who are too ambitious but incompetent. So, do you have any ideas about what kind of people to recruit? And what do you two think of yourselves?"

"Just because you two received the imperial decree and came to me, do you think you can easily take charge of the Hongwen Academy? First of all, you have to think clearly about how the Hongwen Academy is different from the previous one, and whether its duties overlap with the Hanlin Academy?"

"If there is, how should you deal with it? If not, how should you deal with it? You two should think about these issues clearly. And I have to say it in advance. Prince Yu's Mansion does not keep idle people. If you two are just empty names and are good at talking nonsense, I suggest that you two submit a memorial as soon as possible and change places."

After nearly three years of life in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Zaigui had long since shed his early freshness and childishness. Although he still had some favorable feelings towards some historical celebrities, they had become very weak.

Therefore, facing the arrival of Zhao Zhenji and Li Chunfang, Zhu Zaigui did not show excessive respect for them. After all, these two people were appointed by Emperor Jiajing to serve as Zhu Zaigui's assistants, not like Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, who were here to teach Zhu Zaigui.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui did not need to be too nice to his deputy. He just needed to establish his authority as quickly as possible and then do his job well.

If these two people think that Prince Yu is arrogant and disrespectful to scholars, that doesn’t matter. There are countless people in the Ming Dynasty who want to become Prince Yu’s disciples anyway.

Moreover, after nearly three years of observation and life, Zhu Zaigui also discovered a problem, that is, his daily style of doing things was too humble.

If there are only a few people around you, there is nothing wrong with being humble.

But if the relationships around you become more numerous and complicated, and you continue to be so humble, without distinguishing between close and distant relatives, it will be difficult to control.

Therefore, in front of the right people, Zhu Zaigui had to show appropriate majesty and temper to let Zhao Zhenji and Li Chunfang know that he was not just a fifteen-year-old boy, but his immediate superior who could decide their future and destiny!

After hearing Zhu Zai's straightforward question, Zhao Zhenji and Li Chunfang were startled. He quickly stood up and bowed to Zhu Zai, saying, "I know my crime. I hope Your Majesty will give me your instructions."

Zhu Zaigui took another sip of tea and looked at how Zhao Zhenji and Li Chunfang readily surrendered. He was secretly surprised at the two men's ability to bend and stretch.

As expected, those who can defeat thousands of enemies, pass the imperial examination, enter the Hanlin Academy, and be appreciated and favored by Emperor Jiajing are different from ordinary people.

Zhu Zaigui smiled in a friendly manner, "What's wrong with you two? Please stand up quickly. I just spoke my mind a little too bluntly. I hope you two don't take it to heart."

However, Zhao Zhenji and Li Chunfang had already put themselves in the right positions at this moment. They had been enlightened by Zhu Zaigui's words and realized that they were not as lucky as Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, who could teach and assist Zhu Zaigui as his tutors and lecturers.

They were arranged to work in the newly established Hongwenguan to help Zhu Zaigui. If they did not have a clear understanding of their positions, they could have used the identity of "teachers" to preach to Zhu Zaigui.

And thinking that Zhu Zaigui would be courteous and humble to them, that was really a wrong idea.

Zhao Zhenji and Li Chunfang bowed respectfully to Zhu Zaigui again: "Thank you, Your Highness." Then the two of them sat down obediently again, but this time when they sat down, they were not as natural as the first time. They only sat on half of the chairs, not all of them.

From this we can see that Zhu Zaigui’s effect in establishing his authority was quite good and had immediate results.

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(End of this chapter)